Contemplations About Flowers
by Ysavvryl
Summary: Micah thinks he knows what will finally get the Sharance Tree to bloom. But this final step will require a tough decision.


It came to him one spring afternoon, late in the season.

For the past week, he had been hectically protecting the golden turnips and crystal flowers from storms, carefully raising up a melon for the Spring Crop Festival, fighting monsters in the Vale, mining for rare minerals in the depth of that dungeon, running errands for his neighbors, and crafting up improvements to his equipment. It felt never-ending at times. But the fruits of his labor were now in his grasp (or almost in the case of the turnips and flowers). After all the rush, he felt like he deserved a day off.

Thus Micah had set off to go fishing. An early morning rain shower blessed his fields with water, so all he had to do was check on their progress and take care of his tamed monsters. He packed a picnic lunch for himself and activated his lily-pad magic seed, to cross over Dragon Lake to get to the secluded shore of the island. Out here, the fish didn't bite much, but that was okay. The task lent itself to relaxing on the sand beach and enjoying the day.

And out here, there was less competition from his neighbors. Sometimes Carmen and Carlos came here, but they were doing some heavy cleaning of their fishing resort today. Near Micah, the magical lily pad crouched in the shallows and soaked up the sun. He was alone other than that, which was a major change of routine. He liked people, but being alone was nice sometimes.

Being alone with a slow patient task allowed his mind to wander for once. It didn't seem to matter what he considered, as his thoughts kept returning to the Sharance Tree. Why hadn't it bloomed yet? Everyone was expecting it to do so, any day now. Any day now. Any day now... it was said that when the two tribes reunited, the human and the non-human, then the tree would blossom. The univir settlement and Sharance Village had reconciled with each other in the Unity Festival last winter. Not only that, but there were non-humans who lived in Sharance: dwarf, elf, mermaid, half-monster.

Half-monster, like himself and Raven. Micah even lived in the Sharance Tree. Early last spring, he had arrived with no memory, no possessions save for the clothes on his back, and no idea what to do. But through his presence and activities in both communities, he had led to the Sharance Tree growing unexpectedly, and filling out with lush leaves this year. There were even buds. But no blooms.

After a while, Micah put away his fishing pole, then took off his shoes and socks. The feel of the cool water and silky sand was good; a flower scent rode on the wind, along with a warning that the rains might return later. This place was beautiful as it was, but if the Sharance flowers would bloom, it would be blissful. Never mind if the flowers granted wishes, or blessed relationships. Just seeing them would be a promise, of something. Somewhere in the shadowy recesses of his mind, where his memory possibly lurked, he knew the flowers were vital.

Blessed relationships. It was said that people used to come from miles around to propose under the shade of a flowering Sharance Tree. And it had grown to this point because of growing and healthy relationships. Perhaps if he got married and lived with a wife in the tree, then the tree would finally blossom?

It was a daunting thought. In his time here, Micah had ended up doing so much because he could do it and it didn't seem like much more to do. To stay here and work on the Sharance Tree farm, that was worth free housing. To get involved in his neighbors' lives, that was just being friendly. To start hunting down troublesome monsters, he could do that and it only became more important when he learned that his memory was linked to strange orbs in the various dungeons. But to commit to such a big change in life? He didn't know if he had obligations in another place, or if he had loved someone else before. Or even how old he was exactly. In fact, the day he had celebrated his last birthday was a guess more than anything.

But on looking around that small island, he had a strange feeling that marriage was what it would take to get the tree to bloom. There was a wall there that looked suspiciously like two large doors. And on that wall, there was a mural depicting the Sharance flowers, along with peoples of various kinds. The central couple did have signs of being wedded: the way they held hands, the flower in their joined hands, the way they looked at each other rather than anyone else. Maybe that was a nudge in the right direction.

Since he couldn't get his mind off that subject, Micah gave up on fishing for the day. He put his socks and shoes back on, then directed his lilypad back into town before letting it rest. He greeted some of his neighbors on the beach, talked to a couple of them. Then he decided to drop by the pharmacy, to see if they had any herbs he wanted in. And while there, he spotted a new recipe to an accessory he didn't have: an engagement ring.

Marjorie, the kind but playful old woman who acted as healer to the whole village, caught him lingering over that recipe a bit long. She teased him about it, causing him to blush and explain, in a flustered manner, that he didn't have any intentions of proposing to anyone yet. But the possibility was on his mind. And honestly, he didn't mind quietly telling her that maybe he would. She might tease people, but she would not use such a secret against him. He even told her that it might just be the last step to get the Sharance Tree to bloom.

She had looked thoughtful about that and excused herself to go look at something. In the meantime, Micah found the herbs he wanted, even some that would work well with the fish he had caught earlier. Majorie sent Marian off to go run an errand, so she took care of his purchase. And handed him the recipe for the engagement ring. No charge, no questions. Just some gentle advice to follow his heart and consider it carefully.

The clouds had gathered overhead, causing him to head back home. The Sharance tree was a peculiar one, in that it had somehow gotten large hollows within its trunk. Down on the ground level, that hollow was so enormous that it could fit in a large farm, a spring, and a barn while still being spacious and bright with sunlight. The locals called it a guardian spirit, and perhaps that kind of intelligence had caused the tree to form in such a manner.

Inside, Micah went about cooking up the fish he'd caught, as well as some of the fruits and vegetables he had been saving up. There was a common spell that allowed foods to be preserved for a long time, allowing a large market for cooked meals that were ready to eat with just an unlocking of the preservation seal. It allowed him and others good at cooking to get a good income, while letting others who were too busy to cook have good healthy meals. From that, he had a steady income as well as a good amount of money saved up. He could support a family, so that was nothing to worry about.

By the time he was done, the rain had started again. Micah set aside his own supper, then sealed up the other dishes and climbed down the ladder to reach his shipping bin. He had a green umbrella hanging by the ladder exactly for times like this, so it wasn't that bad. Right after he was done, Karina came into the farm area to pick up the items. They talked for a little bit, her complaining about how it always seemed to rain right at the time she came to do this. It didn't, but Micah humored her for a little bit.

His own supper that night consisted of pan-grilled fish, a lettuce salad with some of his spring vegetables, a roll, water, and some apple cobbler for desert. It was simpler than some of the dishes he had just shipped, but he liked the simpler ones better. It was easier to taste the produce itself. While he was eating, he considered his home. Upstairs, there were some work spaces for making things himself. That he wouldn't mind sharing; same with his kitchen area. He had a long table, but only two chairs, one for himself and one for a guest. He might want to buy a few more chairs, as well as a screen to go near the bed area.

On looking at his bed, Micah also felt that he would want to look into getting a bigger one. It was a little small right now, although that suited him. If he were to share his house and his bed, well, the former was large enough, but not the latter. Plus there was what a married couple could do and for that... well, he just needed better furniture. He laughed a little at himself, although he wondered how to go about ordering a double bed without sending the wrong message.

There was also the matter of how his home looked. He personally liked it; there were interesting knots and patterns in the wood, everything flowed together because it was one whole, the leaves and buds of the Sharance Tree peeked in through the windows, the door and staircase out front were natural beauties. However, maybe decorating it a little further would appeal to a potential wife. Should he do that himself, or wait until he was married and let her decide? Maybe a couple small things to start with and then wait on the rest.

At the end of the meal, he cleaned up the dishes then considered the recipe for the engagement ring. It looked like a simple task, and the materials wouldn't be too hard to gather. However, there was one line of it which he wasn't sure if it was serious or not. If it was serious, it presented a problem. 'And make sure that during each step, you think on the one you love and wish to make him or her happy.'

That's right. It was the most important part of deciding this. Who did he want to marry?

It was a tough question to answer. There were a lot of eligible girls in this town, but very few guys. For instance, Carlos talked often about finding a wife, but he didn't seem serious about it and didn't seem particularly interested in anyone. And some of the men in town, like Wells and Blaise, were older or widowers. Or just plain not interested at the time, like Ondurus in the univir settlement (but then he had the advantage of a much longer lifespan so marriage wasn't a pressing issue). But it wasn't about them. It was about Micah, and who he loved.

And that still wasn't easy to answer. Over in his kitchen area, he had a cross-stitched picture that he had bought from a passing traveler (a single mother who was struggling to find a new home; she hadn't stayed here, so Micah felt he ought to buy something from her). It stated 'Friendship is Love without his wings'. And that stated how he felt quite nicely. He loved his neighbors and had gotten to know them very well over the year he had lived here. But that was a love of friendship, not something that would lead to marriage. Did he love any of them to the point that he would share the rest of his life with her?

There was the girl who had taken care of him when he had arrived as a Wooly, Shara. She was nice and surely she'd be willing to help out around the farm. At least with flowers. She was happy and cheerful without being overboard about it, which was nice. But then she was bossy at times. And there was that one time when she had given him that Girliness cologne without warning him. Micah had been irritated at that, but that was only once and she had apologized later.

And the time he met Shara (at least when he could remember it), he had also met Raven. She had a chilly attitude at first, but it seems that was only shyness caused by being a half-monster. Even though Micah had let everyone in the village know that what he was, he thought that only he and Gaius knew about Raven. Maybe Marjorie too. It was nice to see Raven smile, like that one time in winter when he and her friends had tried to cheer her up by going ice skating. While he had made a fool of himself slipping up, it had been worth it to make her happy. She was a dedicated worker but then again, she'd probably continue to work with Gaius. That was fine by Micah. As they both had the same origins, it would be good to be around her more. Maybe she'd become more confident, definitely happier.

They were far from his only options, though. There was Karina, the daughter of Hazel. When she wanted to do something, she could work hard at it, even if it needed things that she'd rather not do. And if he got her off of complaining, she was interesting to talk to at times. Last week, they had lengthy conversation about if they had a village music competition, what the results of it might be. But then, Karina really preferred to avoid hard work. Micah would have to find some way to get her enthusiastic about things. If he helped her improve further, then she might become a wonderful woman.

And then there was the other girl who hung around with Raven and Karina, Sofia. She was definitely an interesting and intelligent person. While she was a high class girl, she didn't balk at doing work. In fact, she had a pretty good business sense, which Micah had only realized by talking to her about his farming income one day. She did have a slightly snobby side, and a majorly confusing side. She spoke in opposites a lot, but not constantly, so conversations with her with partly riddles in figuring out what she really meant. While he was getting the hang of it, could he really deal with that on a more constant basis?

A girl who was less confusing was Carmen. Carmen liked fishing and had great enthusiasm for it. Every day, she was out fishing, or talking about fish, or working at her brother's fishing resort. He still remembered last fall when he had asked her a simple question of how to cut shashimi better and the following conversation lasted close to three hours. While it was fun to be around her, it might be good to see if she was interested in anything else. Plus there was her brother to consider. Although, Micah felt like he had Carlos' trust. It would be nice to have Carmen around, because he didn't always fish and meat was expensive to buy.

There was also Darla if he wanted a girl with enthusiasm. And creativity; she was an artist and her talents for that seemed to spill over into anything else she did. She had big dreams and goals, much higher than anyone else in Sharance Village. Then again, her creativity (and enthusiasm) often went overboard and there were many times when he wasn't sure if she was really paying attention when talking to others. Plus, there was the question of if Micah could keep Darla from painting the Sharance Tree itself into a rainbow. She had pleaded with him about it, calling it a grand artistic vision. He had to distract her with another art project, but who knew how long that would work.

Another artist was Evelyn, although with clothing made of unusual items like fish scales and turnip leaves. But she wasn't really available. While she didn't have a suitor officially, Gaius seemed to be in love with her. The blacksmith wasn't one to talk about his feelings much, unless it was related to metal or forging. In his actions, though, one could see that he had an interest. Micah would like to encourage him, as that would make him happy. So Evelyn was out of the question.

However, that was one old enough single girl out, when there were plenty more to consider. Like Marion, who was clever and energetic. She was learning to be a witch and healer like her grandmother Marjorie, supposedly having great potential. Have a healer for a wife would be a great help since he explored the harsher areas of the dungeons often. But then, Marion often did dangerous and manipulative experiments, like one time she nearly turned him into a girl. And there was that strange tea she made; there was one day that he couldn't entirely remember, but people said he'd been acting strange then. Maybe he could help her learn to control herself and think more of how others felt.

That had worked with Collette, Marion's best friend (although she hadn't been as bad). Collette was a good cook and she might be a good farmer if taught a little more. At the Winter Crop Festival, she had done a lot better than anyone else in the village, but couldn't come close to Micah's score. As he had given her some tips that evening, he felt like he had some tough competition coming up for the next crop competition. She ate a lot, true, but if she helped out with cooking that'd be okay. Also, she was definitely a hard worker, as well as cheerful. It'd be a bright happy life. But then she inspired a kind of brotherly feeling in him, as she acted a little childish at times.

Not quite as childish as Pia, whose naïve nature caused her to not notice things that people might misinterpret. Perhaps it was because she was a mermaid. Still, it was hard to be sad around her, as she smiled a lot and was optimistic about everything. Conversations with her were never dull, and she was very dedicated and helpful if one simply cared about her. One afternoon last summer, she had told him about the strange underwater world that she had grown up in. When he said that he'd like to see that, she pointed out that the problem of him drowning would be a 'little bit of a problem'. All without losing her smile. Micah would have to give up eating all fish (except squid, which would become a daily meal), but that might be worth it.

And there was Pia's adopted sister, Sakuya. Sakuya was one of the most practical of the girls he knew, as well as intelligent. She already ran her own business, along with helping out in her mother's inn. However, she cared a bit too much about money; Micah would definitely have to put down firm rules about taking his wool when he was a Wooly. She also liked to travel, which could be good or bad. Just the other day, she had told him of various cities she wanted to visit, either again or for the first time; there had been at least a dozen before their conversation got interrupted. Micah was rather fond of the Sharance Tree and had no interest in moving from this village.

There was also Kuruna, who didn't live in the village but was here often enough now that she might be willing to move. She was wise and mature, making her a great deal more calm and elegant than the other girls. Except when it came to sweets. The way her quiet facade broke in the presence of them was kind of cute. He could remember one time when she'd been trying to have a serious talk, but then she smiled happily like a little girl when he'd given her a chocolate cookie. However, she was the elder of the univir settlement; he had no idea exactly how old she was, except that it was far older than he could possibly be. Plus, when she was angered about something, it was hard to reason with her.

So many people that he loved as neighbors, but to pick a girl for a wife, to love deeply for the rest of his life?

For the rest of the evening, he cleaned up around his house while thinking over the issue. He swept the floors, washed all his kitchen tools thoroughly, and organized his storage chest. For a little while, he tried to read a book, but his thoughts kept him from being able to immerse himself in it. He decided he might turn in early for the night. He'd be back at work tomorrow.

Lying in his bed, he listed to the sound of the rain outside. It pattered on the window, off the leaves, along the sides of the Sharance Tree. Along with that, there was the faint flow of sap and life within the tree, and the occasional flutters of the wind. It was a soothing chorus. No matter how lost he felt without his memory, or how worn out he was from his daily activities, when he lay here in his bed at night, there was always a reminder of the wonder of this place. He could never feel truly sad when he loved this place with all his heart.

Micah shifted in bed so that he could look out the round window above him, at the dark and wet night outside. Heart... maybe he was over-thinking this whole marriage business. He was thinking too much with his head, with reason, when he should be listening to his heart. If he had another full free day, who would he want to spend it with? If he had to leave the village, who would he miss most? If he could only speak to one person the rest of his life, who would he want that to be? Who would he want to be beside him here, at night listening to the rain or in the morning watching the sun rise? When he spotted the first Sharance blossom opening up, who would he want to show it to first, to give to her the first chance to see if wishes spoken to a flower might come true?

Her name came right into his heart and stayed there.

* * *

_I'm not saying what that name was..._

_This story came about on my first play of Rune Factory 3, at the scene where Wells and Marjorie talk to Micah about marriage and give him the engagement ring recipe. When they said, 'We know you've been crazy over one girl in town,' my thoughts were, 'who? I have no idea which girl to pick'. I had finished Shara's final request first, but only to annoy Wells (and that didn't work). I went so far as to complete every girl's request chains and get everyone to level 10 relationship/friendship with Micah before deciding (Darla, in my case). So I came with with another idea for how the idea of 'marriage will get flowers to bloom' across.  
_

_I also tried to match the atmosphere of the game here. What do you think?  
_


End file.
